Hello Zapper,
1. I definitely DO NOT do any standard kasina or breath meditations. That should be clear to anyone.
2. I don’t try to get into jhanas in any case. But when I meditate on the anicca, dukkha, anatta nature (Tilakkhana) I get into “jhanic-like” states. I just don’t have the mindset to cultivate jhanas.
– Anyone who has comprehended Tilakkhana will get into jhanas while in meditation (they just go in and out of jhana). It is just that to stay in jhanas for long times (jhana samapatti) one must practice a lot. But there are some people (who had cultivated jhanas in recent past lives) who can easily get into jhana samapatti. Obviously, I am not one of them.
– My goal is not to enjoy “jhanic pleasures.” My goal is to stop the rebirth process completely ASAP.
3. Not only any human, but ANY living being has attained the highest jhanas in their past. That is why jhanas are not a “big deal.”
– Of course, nothing wrong with getting into jhanas. In fact, there are benefits in cultivating jhanas. The problem arises when one starts enjoying the “jhanic pleasures” and forget that it is only a temporary state (even if one will be reborn in a Brahma realm and can enjoy such “jhanic pleasures” for millions of years). Eventually, they all end up in lower realms as animals or worse. In other words, any animal living today would have been born in a Brahma realm in the deep past.
– My advice to those who are obsessed with jhanas is to point out the account of Devadatta. He was able to attain the highest jhanas and had supernormal powers as well (all via anariya jhanas). But he ended up losing all that and was reborn in hell (niraya) because of his immoral activities.